The Truth About Bible College Part 7: A Final Word

[Jason B]

I lived for two years in Jacksonville, Florida and attended Trinity Baptist Church. While there Dr. Bob Gray became my icon. The Prince of Preachers he was called and in my mind he truly was. Dr. Gray was in Germany when I was in Jacksonville but he would preach as a guest from time to time. When I moved back to California I would drive for miles to hear him speak. And it meant so much to me when he would remember me. He did not always remember my name but he remembered my face and would always have time to chat.

After I graduated from Bible college in 2005 I stayed in Lancaster for a few more years. At a single’s retreat I mentioned to someone that I had lived in Jacksonville for two years and attended Trinity Baptist Church.

“Oh, that is so sad about their legal problems” he said.
“What legal problems?”
He said “I’ll tell you later” and quickly changed the subject.

When I got back to Lancaster I looked up TBC on the internet and was devastated to see that Bob Gray had been molesting children for almost 50 years and the church helped cover it up.

I locked myself in my room for three days and began to think. I had many problems with Fundamentalism but tried to repress them. Who was I to question the only true Christian faith left? But now the questions began to resurface. Then something occurred to me: the staff of the church I attended wanted the people to be accountable to them but the staff did not feel the need to be accountable to the people.

Then the floodgates opened. I began to look at Fundamentalism with a critical eye and I did not like what I saw.

As a religious movement Fundamentalism is dangerously off the rails. It is a religious system that is based on fear, anger, tradition, slogans, witty sayings, shallow scholarship, hyper loyalty, unquestioned obedience to its leaders and misuse of scripture. The spirituality of its followers is based on external standards; number of souls saved (but not on lives changed), loyalty to the King James Version, hatred for Santa Claus, avoiding the movie theater, women not wearing pants and a host of other standards that are too numerous to list. It is a system that is unfair to women, treating them as possessions and sources for lust, and it shuns, vilifies and alienates those who have even the slightest difference in opinion with its traditions. It demonizes those who attempt to think for themselves or cry out for justice.

Fundamentalism is a religion that is based very much on the flesh.

When one tries to do righteousness in the flesh they will eventually do unrighteousness in the flesh because the flesh is never satisfied. And because Fundamentalism is a religion of the flesh it has produced scandal and disappointment for its followers.

Fundamentalism has failed its followers. It has failed to give the people what they need.

People need kindness, compassion, to love and be loved. They need to know that they can be open and vulnerable without being judged.

Fundamentalism needs a radical change. And its victims need healing.

For those in Fundamentalism who continue to advance this flawed system and for those who have been wounded by that system the path to restoration starts at the same place. We must first understand that there is a kind, loving, compassionate God Who deeply, completely and passionately loves His children. He is full and overflowing with love and in His humility He wants to have a deep, intimate, and personal relationship with you. He wants to meet you where you are just as you are. He wants to meet you in your sin so He can forgive you. He wants to meet you in your hurt so He can heal you. He wants to meet you in your confusion so He can give you light. He wants to meet you so He can love you. And when we experience His love we can not help but return His love with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

Then, as we experience God’s amazing love we began to understand that if God so deeply loves us then He must also love others. As His overflowing love spills onto us like a cool river in a lonely desert we can not help but direct that love towards others. We begin to love others as ourselves.

These are the first two commandments; love God and love your neighbor.
They are not the only two commandments but they are the most important, the starting point, the foundation of our lives. All other commands can be traced back to these two.

For those in Fundamentalism I urge you to rethink your position and to look at yourself and Fundamentalism with new eyes. For those who have been injured, I wish you God’s blessings as you continue on your journey of healing. I am reminded of a story of a preacher many years ago who was witnessing to a lost man. The lost man said “I will not become a Christian. They are hypocrites. I have been betrayed by more of them than I can count!” The preacher sighed sadly and said “You are right. Christianity has many hypocrites. And I myself have been hurt many times by my fellow believers. But I have never found anything wrong with my Lord Jesus Christ. And that is the one I would like you to meet.”

It is my prayer that all of you will find God on your journey and that you will experience His love, His presence, His power and His blessings like you never have before.

[pastor's wife]

Well said!

[Papa Bear]

I enjoyed this series of posts. Even where my experience differed, everything in it rang true.

[Jason B]

(12-15-2012 08:52 AM)pastors wife Wrote:  Well said!

Thanks for your comments on this series. I know many people could have articulated the truth about Bible college better than I could have but I hope that this series makes people think. And there are far more truths about Bible college than what I mentioned her on this forum.

[Jason B]

(12-15-2012 09:39 PM)Papa Bear Wrote:  I enjoyed this series of posts. Even where my experience differed, everything in it rang true.

Thanks Papa Bear. I don't know your experience but I am sure it is just as important as mine, if not more so.

[claire de lune]

Hi Jason, I too, have appreciated your series of posts. I did not attend a Fundy U, but I have heard lots of stories from others that lead to lots of questions from me. I have a young friend who recently graduated from your school, and whose siblings went/go there too. True fundies though they are, even they do not agree with many things demanded by the school, so it puzzles me, why do they go? I've asked, but still don't understand.

Anyway, blessings to you!

[Jason B]

(12-16-2012 04:22 AM)claire de lune Wrote:  Hi Jason, I too, have appreciated your series of posts. I did not attend a Fundy U, but I have heard lots of stories from others that lead to lots of questions from me. I have a young friend who recently graduated from your school, and whose siblings went/go there too. True fundies though they are, even they do not agree with many things demanded by the school, so it puzzles me, why do they go? I've asked, but still don't understand.

Anyway, blessings to you!

Thanks! I am glad you appreciated these posts. I'm sure you have heard many stories about Fundy U and even though I do not know what those stories are I bet they are all true.

I think many go to IFB colleges even if they do not totally agree is because they want a conservative Christian education. What I mean by conservative is in theology and methods. I lean towards the conservative Christian mindset but Fundamentalism has gone overboard. There is a place for different types of churches and methods in Christianity. One size does not fit all.

I don't know if that helps. I'm sure people can poke holes in what I said. I hope your friend and his siblings will continue to grow and understand that the main thing is not soulwinning and standards. The main thing is Christ.

[Papa Bear]

I attended a Fundy high school that pressured grads to attend a Fundy Bible Kawledge, but I resisted. My parents insisted that I attend a "Christian college", and I'd absorbed enough of Gothard's teaching to feel that God would be displeased with me if, at age 18, I didn't comply. One school I considered was Calvin College, but they rejected it. In their minds, "Reformed" meant "not Christian". I ended up attending LeTourneau College (now LeTourneau University) because that was the only college they would approve of that had an engineering program.

When I got there, I found that, even though I had been an A student, my Fundy high school had left me woefully unprepared. When I realized that it would take me at least two years of foundational courses to fully prepare for this level of education in math and technical subjects, my parents urged me to continue because, "If you drop out of college, you'll never go back."

I had the sense not to continue on borrowed money when I was no longer sure this was what I wanted, and didn't have a clear plan. I worked, saved money, and paid down my student loans for five years. Then I went back to school, graduated, and eventually earned a doctorate in an unrelated field.

(12-16-2012 12:18 AM)Jason B Wrote:  

(12-15-2012 09:39 PM)Papa Bear Wrote:  I enjoyed this series of posts. Even where my experience differed, everything in it rang true.

Thanks Papa Bear. I don't know your experience but I am sure it is just as important as mine, if not more so.

[Chuck Norris]

(12-15-2012 01:58 AM)Jason B Wrote:  These are the first two commandments; love God and love your neighbor.
They are not the only two commandments but they are the most important, the starting point, the foundation of our lives. All other commands can be traced back to these two.

Good summary.

I agree with what you say about the first and second commandment, but that is also where Fundies lose it. I have heard the mannagawd interpret those verses this way.

Winning someone to Christ is the most loving thing we can do.
Therefore, all of our efforts in life need to be in soul winning.
Therefore, if you don't come to Tuesday night soul winning, Sat morning soul winning and Sat afternoon bus calling, check your heart.


Blah, blah, blah.